Northshore Recipes

There are many ways to savor the flavor of the Northshore, where fabulous chefs take an abundance of fresh, high-quality local ingredients and make every meal a celebration for the taste buds. Here are some recipes to try in your kitchen at home,
courtesy of some of the Northshore's favorite dining spots: Hambone, LOLA, Dakota, and Meribo restaurants.

Poppy Tooker's Seafood Gumbo

Reprinted from "Louisiana Eats!" (Pelican Publishing 2013)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. shrimp, shells and heads on

1 onion, chopped, peel reserved

3 stalks celery, chopped, tops and bottoms reserved

6-8 green onions, thinly sliced, parings reserved

1 pt. oysters

2 lbs. okra, sliced into ¼” rounds

½ cup oil, plus additional for frying

1 cup flour

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 lb. gumbo crabs

1 1-lb. can crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp. thyme

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Hot sauce to taste

Method:

Peel shrimp, reserving heads and shells. Make a stock by combining shrimp heads and peels, onion skins, celery bottoms and tops, and green onion parings in a stock pot. Cover with water in excess of 2” over discards and boil for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve liquid.

Drain oysters and reserve oyster liquor; set aside.

Fry okra in very hot oil until lightly browned.

Make a dark roux with the flour and ½ cup oil, cooking to the color of milk chocolate. Add chopped onions, stirring until the roux darkens to a bittersweet chocolate brown. Add celery and bell pepper. Satué for 5 minutes, then add the gumbo crabs, tomatoes, okra, thyme, bay leaf, shrimp stock, and oyster liquor. Add garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 45 minutes or longer.

OYSTERS MARCI

Chef Luke Hidalgo, Hambone

"Oysters Marci is a dish I developed back at my days at Commanders Palace at the Chef's Table...The core flavors at play here are classic New Orleans: fennel, Herbsaint, bacon, mushrooms and fresh herbs," explains Chef Hidalgo. It's one of the most popular dishes at Hambone, and named for his wife and business partner.

INGREDIENTS:

One dozen medium-sized Gulf oysters. Set aside while you make the stuffing.

For the stuffing:

Olive oil

6 oz. bacon, diced small

1 yellow Spanish onion, diced small

2 large fennel bulbs, diced small

6 cloves garlic, minced

Salt

Black pepper

4 large portobello mushrooms, gills removed, diced medium

2 cups Herbsaint liqueur

1 cup cream

2 oz. Italian parsley, rough chopped

1 oz. fresh tarragon, rough chopped

1 oz. fresh lemon thyme, rough chopped

½ cup dry grated Parmesan

½ cup breadcrumbs

Cayenne to taste

Heat large, heavy-bottomed pot before adding in a drizzle of olive oil to coat the bottom. Add diced bacon. (Chef’s hint: Freeze bacon before using to make it easy to dice.) Stir with a wooden spoon to render the bacon, then add the diced onion and fennel. Continue to stir at medium heat until fennel and onions are nicely caramelized.

Add chopped garlic, salt, and pepper. Allow garlic to sweat for a couple of minutes before adding the mushrooms. The mushrooms may need additional oil to sauté fully. When the mushrooms are tender and have reduced a bit in size – about 5 minutes – add in the Herbsaint.

Reduce the liquid down until it is almost gone, then add cream and reduce by half.

Remove the pot from the heat and add in the herbs, Parmesan, bread crumbs and cayenne pepper. Taste and add more salt and black pepper if needed.

Assembling the oysters:

Wash the whole oyster shells in an icy, salty water bath. Use an oyster knife to open the shell of the oysters at the hinge. Be careful here and make sure to protect your opposite hand with a towel. Once you've broken the suction of the oyster shells, slide the tip of the knife into the opening and release the oyster from the connection above. Repeat for the connection below. If necessary, give the oysters a quick dip in clean icy, salty water to remove any dirt or bits of shell. Use a large spoon to fill the shells with your stuffing on top of the raw oysters. Use the convex curve of the spoon to shape the stuffing on the shell to make them look nice.

You can cook the oysters on a grill or smoker or in the oven. The oysters are ready when the stuffing has turned a nice dark color and crusted over and the oyster has begun to bubble on the edge where the stuffing meets the shell.

Remove from heat and serve. Serves 4 as an appetizer. Enjoy!

OOEY GOOEY CAKE

Chef Nealy Frentz, Lola, Covington

This classically Southern dessert is deceptively simple to make and oh so hard to resist. It's a popular choice at Nealy Frentz's restaurant, Lola, in downtown Covington.

OOEY GOOEY CAKE INGREDIENTS:

1 18.25-ounce box yellow cake mix (yes, boxed mix)

1 large egg

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Ooey Gooey Filling (recipe follows)

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch square pan.
Blend the cake mix, egg, and butter in mixing bowl. Press the crumbly mixture on
the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Spread the filling over the crumb mixture
in the pan. Bake until golden brown and firm, about forty-five minutes to one hour.
Cool for thirty minutes and dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Serves 8.

OOEY GOOEY FILLING INGREDIENTS:

Makes about 2 cups

1 stick salted butter, melted

8 ounces softened cream cheese

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1-pound box confectioners’ sugar

Combine butter, cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, and sugar in a mixing bowl and
beat until smooth.

METHOD:

Using a meat mallet or hammer, crack open crab shells until meat is exposed. In a 1-gallon stockpot, heat olive oil; add cracked crabs and sauté for 5 minutes. Add vegetables and bay leaves; continue to sauté for 5 minutes.

Add brandy, white wine, and water; bring to simmer over medium heat and cook for 45 minutes. Using a skimmer remove crabs and vegetables from stock.

In a small sauté skillet, melt butter and blend in flour until smooth and creamy; simmer over low heat for one minute.

Add mixture to stock using a wire whisk until roux is dissolved. Add heavy cream and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove outside rind from Brie and discard, cut cheese into 1” cubes and add to stock stirring constantly until cheese completely melts. Season soup with salt, white pepper, and cayenne.

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl. Mix until incorporated. Chill before use.

BACON MARMALADE INGREDIENTS:

1/2 tbsp. butter

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 1/2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. smoked bacon, diced

1 1/2 tbsp. dried thyme

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 cup molasses

Zest and juice from half of the orange

1/4 bottle of red wine

In a pot with a heavy bottom, add butter, onion, and garlic. Let sweat down, then add bacon. Cook 5 minutes, then add remaining ingredients. Cook and reduce down until thick and syrupy in texture. This process takes about 20-30 minutes on medium to low heat.

PICKLED RED ONION INGREDIENTS:

2 red onions sliced thin

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. black peppercorn

1/2 tbsp. mustard seeds

1/2 tbsp. coriander seeds

1/2 tbsp. juniper berry

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 cup kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a pot and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, place in a container and chill in ice bath. Store in fridge.

ASSEMBLE BRUSCHETTA:

Best to prepare pimento cheese, bacon marmalade, and pickled red onion the day before serving. Assemble and serve the day of the event.

Makes 20 appetizer-sized portions.

REDFISH COURTBOUILLION

Courtesy Poppy Tooker, author and radio personality

INGREDIENTS:

2 onions

1 green bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

4 stalks celery

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup flour

1 – 28 oz. can whole tomatoes

2 lemons

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste

8 redfish fillets

cooked rice

METHOD:

Chop one onion and slice the other into long, thin strips. Chop the green bell pepper and slice the red and yellow peppers into long, thin strips. Chop two of the celery stalks and slice the other two into strips.

Add 3 tablespoons oil to a deep skillet. Over a medium high heat sauté the red and yellow pepper strips, the onion strips and the celery strips. Remove from the pan and reserve.

Make a roux by adding the remainder of the oil into the pan combined with the flour. Cook together until the roux is a milk chocolate color. Add the chopped onions and cook until the roux darkens to bittersweet chocolate brown. Add chopped celery and chopped bell pepper. Add the tomatoes and juice, squeezing each by hand into the pot to crush. Zest and juice one lemon and add to the sauce with the garlic and herbs. Simmer together for 25-30 minutes. Add the sautéed onion, celery and bell pepper and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Add green onions and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Place the redfish fillets into the courtbouillon. Spoon some of the sauce on top and top each fillet with a lemon slice. Cover and cook for an additional 5 -10 minutes. Correct seasonings – salt, pepper, and hot sauce – and serve over rice.

Alternate method – bake or sauté the fish separately and serve with the sauce on top cooked fish.

Serves 8.

From Louisiana Eats! The People, the Food and Their Stories by Poppy Tooker, c. 2013 Poppy Tooker, used by permission of the publisher, Pelican Publishing Company, Inc.

MERIBO'S BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Courtesy Chef Gavin Jobe, Meribo, Covington

Active Time: 45 min Total Time: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

1tbs. unsalted butter

1tbs. vegetable or mildly flavored oil

1 cup Arborio rice

1 small butternut squash

2 delicata squash or 1 acorn squash (for garnish)

1 ½ cups vegetable stock

1 ½ cups ham stock (could sub chicken)

2 tbs. heavy cream

2 tbs. shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

8 pieces thinly sliced prosciutto or country ham

4 oz by weight ricotta salata cheese

16 sage leaves

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Split the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Split those halves lengthwise so you have 4 even pieces. If you are using delicata squash for your garnish, cut into rings approximately ½” thick, and scoop the seeds out with a spoon. If you are using acorn squash, you will want to cut it into wedges about 1” wide at their widest point.

Next, place squash on an oiled baking sheet and roast in a 400-degree oven, turning once halfway through, for 30 minutes or until they are fork tender. The delicata or acorn squash may be done before the butternut. Once the butternut squash has cooled enough to handle, scoop the flesh and put into a food processor until smooth. You will need 1 cup of the squash puree. The rest can be seasoned and eaten as a side dish later. Set aside the squash garnish for later use.

Fry the country ham or prosciutto in a deep fryer, shallow pan with a bit of oil, or bake on a baking sheet until it is crispy like a chip. Do the same thing with the sage leaves. Set both of them aside until it is time to eat.

Now on to the risotto. Combine both stocks in a small pot and bring to a low simmer, just so it is hot. This is so you can add hot stock to your risotto as it cooks without dropping the temperature of the risotto in your pan. In a large flat-bottomed saucepan, over medium to low heat, sweat the shallot in the butter and oil with a pinch of salt until translucent. Be careful to avoid getting any color on the shallots. Add the Arborio to the pan, stirring it to coat with the oil in the pan, and keep it moving for 3-4 minutes to toast the rice. Add about 1/2 cup of stock at first and continue to add stock slowly, keeping just enough liquid in it to keep it from sticking, stirring constantly but slowly. Once the risotto is almost fully cooked (15-20 minutes) add the squash puree, cream, and Parmigiano Reggiano and stir well to combine it all. Cook another minute or two until done. Season to taste with kosher salt. Risotto should not stand up like mashed potatoes. It should spread out to fill whatever vessel it is served in.

Spoon the risotto into bowls, then top with rings of delicata squash, crisp ham, fried sage leaves, and crumbled ricotta salata cheese. Enjoy!